<p>Slightly confused regarding the whole: writing up your own course, does that mean ALL your studies are individualized or do you still have a small classroom discussion feel as well as projects and work out of class?</p>
<p>Hi - did you see this on their webpage? <a href=“Our Academic Program | Hampshire College”>http://www.hampshire.edu/academics/2564.htm</a></p>
<p>My son is nearing the end of his third year at Hampshire (he loves it!) and he’s chosen courses that support his individual plan. He’s a theater major so he’s taken several acting and directing courses at Hampshire and at Amherst College. He has done a couple of independent studies as well but the majority of his courses are existing courses that fit with his area of study. Most of his courses have been small so have lent themselves to small classroom discussions and the like. </p>
<p>Is this what you’re asking?</p>
<p>Hampshire offers a catalog of courses, just like any other college. And, just like any other college, students peruse the available courses and select which ones they want to take. The difference is that there are no established ‘majors’, where a specific set of courses must be taken in order to graduate in that major. Instead, students must develop their own ‘concentration(s)’ with the help of a faculty committee. Each student’s advisor and committee consult with the student to decide which classes to take in order to pursue that concentration. During the last year of study, students prepare a lengthy project, somewhat akin to a treatise, again under the supervision of a faculty committee.</p>
<p>So, student rarely develop their own courses (there are some self-study options). The link that BTMell provided should answer most questions. </p>